Device for cleaning meat tenderizing knives



April 11, 1950 G. M. RICHARD DEVICE FOR CLEANING MEAT TENDERIZING KNIVES Filed Nov. 22, 1944 INVENTOR. 6/"0/77 M E/cha/ d ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11,1950

DEVICE FOR CLEANING MEAT TENDERIZIN G KNIVES 4 Grant M. Richard, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, 0hio,-- a corpora- H tion'ofNew Jersey Application November 22, 194.4,v Serial No. 564,601

2 Claims; (Cl. 134- 149) 1 This invention relates to meat tenderizing machines and in particular to a device for facilitating'the cleaning of the meat tenderizing ma chine knives; In many. meat tenderizing machines the meat tobe tenderized-is passed between a pair of parallel knife-carrying arbors, the arbors bein spaced so that the knives slightly intermesh. To facilitate feeding the meat between the arbors the peripheries of the knives are serrated to form a plurality of .teeth which not only cut the meat but also draw it through between the arbors. A pair of combs positioned with their teeth extending downwardly through the space' between the knives and between the arbors provide a passage for the meat and prevent it from wrapping .around either of the arbors. In the normal operation of this type of tenderizer, particularly when the meat is run through several times, small particles of meat are severed from the meatbeing tenderized and these particles collect on the combs and on the arbors between the knives. Furthermore sinews of the meat are occasionally caught on the teeth of the knives and are drawn through the spaces between the comb teeth. These sinews wrap tightly on the arbors and are difiicult to remove. As it is impossible to satisfactorily clean the knives or to remove the sinews while the arbors are in the tenderizing machine the machines are made so that the arbors may be removed and cleaned manually. It is difficult to handle these knifecarrying arbors because of the great number of sharp edges presented by the knives and the danger of accidentally bending the knives.

The object of this invention is to provide a readily portable device which is adapted to hold a knife-carrying arbor of a tenderizing machine in such a position that it may be readily cleaned.

Another object is to provide a trough-like receptacle with means for holding and rotating a knife-carrying arbor with the knives partially submerged in a cleansing liquid.

These and other objects and advantages are attained in the structure shown in the drawings used to illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a perspective view of a tenderizer knife washing machine.

Figure II is an end View of the washer. Figure-III is a vertical longitudinal section showing a tenderizer knife arbor in position in the washer.

'Figure'IV is a vertical transverse section of the washer. H 1 These specific figures'and the accompanying description are intended to-merely disclose an embodiment of the invention and'not to impose limitations on the claims. p

According to the invention a frame is provided in one end'of which means are provided to hold and rotate one endof an arbor of a meat tenderizing machine while the other end of the frame is adapted to support the other end of the arbor and maintain the arbor in engagement with the rotating means. The frame, in additi0n", may be provided with an integral liquid tight pan-so'that the knives may be partially submerged in a cleansing liquid. Alternatively, the? frame may be constructed without the pan and may be used by immersing the frame and the: arbor in a liquid contained in a largerreceptacle.

A self-contained knife washing machine is shown in the drawings. j The frame of thismachine comprises a "semi-cylindrical troughshaped pan' carried on supporting brackets 2 and 3. The supporting brackets 2 and 3 also form the ends of the trough-shaped pan l. One of the brackets is provided with a boss 4 which is drilled to provide a bearing for a shaft 5. A socket 6 formed in one end of the shaft 5 is similar to the driving socket of the tenderizing machine from which the arbor is taken. This socket is therefore adapted to support and rotatably drive a tenderizing machine arbor 1. The other end of the shaft 5 is provided with a crank 8 so that it may be manually rotated as may be required during the cleaning of an arbor. The

' other bracket 2 of the washing machine is provided with a vertical slot 9 whose lower end is in alignment with the shaft 5. The slot 9 is of such a width that it may serve as a bearing for the other end of the arbor being cleaned. A leaf spring I!) attached to the outer surface of the bracket 2 by means of a pair of screws II is adapted to press against the end of the arbor and thus hold its end engaged in the driving socket B.

The meat tenderizer arbor to be cleaned is placed in position by first engaging one of its ends in the socket 6 and then pressing its other end into the slot 9 until it is engaged by the spring ID. If there are a number of sinews wound on the.arbor -they may be easily removed by using an icepick or a similar sharp instrument between ,thetknives of the arbor while the arbor'is rotated by means of the crank 8 in such loosened a stiff brush, a scrub brush or equivalent, is pressed against the knives with its bristles extending into the space between the knives while the arbor is rotated to completely remove the remaining particles of'm'eat. This cleansing operation may be facilitated by placing enough washing solution in the trough-shaped pan 1' to partially submerge the'knives and the arbor. 'lhus, as the arbor is rotated and the brush is pressed against it the ,ih'eattparlticles and s'inew are'loosened by the brush and are washed away liv-the liquid. The turned rover edgestof :the' t'ug'h-like pan l provide,alconvenientlrest iior ihidin and. holding azbrushin position on the arbor.

y making the device portable it may concet for final rinsing'of the knives. In,,the ,prefeimcdr embodiment shpwnythe device isfcompletely sel'f-containedin that it has. means 'iqr .=.suppc t n andrptating the arborandmeans or hO-lding a liguidyso that the knivesof the arenantiwl subnieneed.

x This device very materially'simpl fies the cleans ingpfa meat tenderize'r arbor. This is, an Qperation that should .be none by the butcher at .the I close of each vdaysbusiness and ,unlessit is easy a and convenient .,to do litis verylikely.toloelslighted .nan lcularlyrinasmucheas ithearl orsare not visible the cn tcme "me use of this :tlevice IELKC 111.95 EDT h work. rQlltAbf ithe cleaning chore and f' as mechanically holdine he arbor in position ,for cleaning, avoids the dangers inherent in attemptin (to 101133111 ithe arbors when they are y g ime on a table .or ;in; a sink. The operation OI taking the -=a1ibors .Irom the tenderizing machinet utting 'theminto the .yvashenrotating them under the brush for a *few seconds and rinsing themisa matterloia veryiew minutes.

Having described the invention, 1 ,claim:

.In a device .IQr cleani he kni es of mea tenderizing machines. in com inati n. a r u h-- eniently be taken to' 'a sink and held ZuI1dBl a' and adapted to bear angularly downwardly and axially against the .end of the inserted arbor for holdingthe ar'bor'engaged with the socket, and

"means for rotating the shaft.

'2. In.arzdevieelicrqcleaning the. knives of meat ttenderizingimachines, in combination, a troughlike 72561613133618 holding a cleansing material, a shaft that is ,journaled in anrend wall of said receptacle and that on its inwardly directed end ,haszasockiet to receive one end of a-knife-carrying arbor, the other end wallgof said receptacle having a Merticalnp en-rendslotdherein inealignment with the shaft, said -slot .;serving .to Journal I the ether endlof,the;knie-carryingsarbor aaspldn ,mounted on the outside of said other end wall and ,overlying the slot, the springheing adapted to ,press angularly downwardly and,axially;agamstithe.end of the inserted arbor tohold the sar bor in engagement with thesocketoi the shaft, andmeans for rotating said shaft.

GRANT .J'Mi 'LRICHARD.

rREFERENCES TCIIIED Elie io'llowing references ;:are ,of ,record in the file 20f this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

